LITTLE CALF, LITTLE FOAL

KALFJE, VEULENTJE (LITTLE CALF, LITTLE FOAL)

year:

2015

genre:

picture book, 32 p.

publisher:

De Eenhoorn, Wielsbeke

illustrator:
Marleen Felius
age:

4+

For years already I adore the work of artist Marleen Felius. Her work - main topic: cows and cattle - is known and valued all over the world. Her 'Cattle breeds encyclopedia' (text and images by Marleen) is a magnificent work of art and knowledge. 
Finally we found a chance and the time to work together.  The result of this is the sweet and lifelike LITTLE CALF, LITTLE FOAL.
This book has a very, very simple text, which talks about the first hours and days of a newborn calf and those of a newborn foal. The pictures show it all: the first drinking, the standing-up, the first time they see the meadow. It's almost non-fictional (because, when Marleen Felius is involved, you know that everything is true to life and no mistakes are made!), but still a small story.

- Prooftranslation in English is available

CHEER-UP BIRD

OPVROLIJKVOGELTJE (CHEER-UP BIRD)

year:

2015

genre:

picture book, 40 p.

publisher:

Lemniscaat, Rotterdam

illustrators:
Ingrid & Dieter Schubert
age:

4+
rights sold:
English (USA) (Lemniscaat)
Chinese (Mainland) (Tomorrow)
German (Fischer Sauerländer)

This picture book is my first with wellknown and renowned artists Ingrid & Dieter Schubert. This collabration was one I have always dreamed off - and now the book is here. It's about a cheer-up bird who takes care of all the amimals' bad moods, by shedding light and bringing hope to everyone. But: what happens at the end of the day when she is exhausted and tired herself? 

- A full English translation is available, as well as a pdf.

THE CANCERCHAMPIONSHIP FOR JUNIORS

HET KANKERKAMPIOENSCHAP VOOR JUNIOREN (THE CANCERCHAMPIONSHIP FOR JUNIORS)

year:

2015

genre:

youth novel, 220 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

age:

12+
awards:
Die Besten Sieben, Dezember 2016 (Germany) 
rights sold:
German (Carlsen)

This direct and moving book was written in close cooperation with Roy Looman (20). In over fourty sessions he told me his life-story. He got cancer when he was 15 years old, at a time where he was mainly playing soccer with his friends, working in a supermarket, going to school, having fun, trying to kiss as many girls as he could. The impact it had on his life and on his mind is in the book - and the story is told in a very direct, strong way. It moves from heartfelt to extremely funny (Roy has a great sense of humour), from the start of the disease to the end, and even after that - and we get to know everything, including pretty private episodes. It's amazing what Roy dared to tell, but it's part of his mission: make people aware of what cancer can do to a young mind, in a negative ánd in a positive way. I'm very proud that Roy let me use his voice for this swinging, fast-paced, but yet elaborate novel. It's certainly not a sad book, and this is proven by the first line: 'This must be the sickest game I have ever played. But I can't stand losing, so let me tell you upfront: I'm not going to die.'
 
- This book is promoted by the Dutch Literary Fund, so foreign publishers could apply for translation and production grants here.

VOTE FOR THE OKAPI

STEM OP DE OKAPI (VOTE FOR THE OKAPI)
year:

2015

genre:

non-fiction, 160 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

age:

8+
awards:
Woutertje Pieterse Prijs 2016 (Best book of the year)
Zilveren Griffel 2016 (Best books)
Vlag en Wimpel van de Penseeljury 2016 (Honorary mention for the illustrations)
Tower of Babel Honour Diploma 2018 (Estonia, best book in translation)
rights sold:
Estonian (Päike ja Pilv)


For years it has been my favourite animal: the okapi. This animal that is shy and majestic at the same time, that was discovered only 100 years ago (in Congo), and that bears zebrastripes as well as horns - since it's the only actual familymember of the giraffe.
In this fullcolour book, that illustrator Martijn van der Linden and me have been working on for years, we present 88 reasons to take the okapi as your new preferred animal. The book has nine chapters, and each chapter is different. In the first one we describe the okapi from head to toe, in another one we follow an okapi-zookeeper for some (dramatic) years, there are chapters with just okapi-illustrations, there is one with 4 okapi-poems, there is the okapi museum, in which we collect okapi-pictures (made by many leading illustrators, especially for this book).
It's a book full of passion, it's a book that provides you with everything that there is to know about the okapi, it's funny and light, it's serious and informative, we hope we have convinced you at the end to keep an eye on the shy and majestic animals ánd people around us...

- This book is promoted by the Dutch Literary Fund, so foreign publishers could apply for translation and production grants here.
   

OLIVER

OLIVER (OLIVER)
year:

2015

genre:

young adult novel, 220 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

age:

15+
awards:
Gouden Lijst 2016 (Golden Frame, Best book for younth)

OLIVER is a novel about the sixteen-year old Norwegian boy Oliver Kjelsberg, two years before he will meet the Dutch Tycho Zeling - so, two years before the events descibed in my novel THE DAYS OF BLUEGRASSLOVE. 
OLIVER has great parents, it's summer holiday, he is progressing in his biggest hobby: playing football (he's a goalkeeper), and he has a best friend, Bendik, who is also his nephew. Oliver is not a talker, but does he need to be? 
Well, in this book, all of a sudden his parent's marriage collapses, and within a day some more things happen that make the world seem a whole lot different than Oliver and Bendik always had believed. How do these two boys cope with the scope of events that they are forced to face?

- This book is meant to be read separately. But it could also be seen as a prequel to THE DAYS OF BLUEGRASSLOVE and, in a way, as a sequel to OUR THIRD BODY.
THE DAYS OF BLUEGRASSLOVE slightly deals with 'love',  OUR THIRD BODY with 'friendships' and OLIVER with 'family'. But that's just an indication.

- Together with this book an updated version of the 15-year old THE DAYS OF BLUEGRASSLOVE was released.

SEEYA!

DOEI! (SEE YA!)

year:

2014

genre:

picture book, 40 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Marije Tolman
awards:
Leespluim June 2015 (picture book of the month) 
age:

4+
rights sold:
German (Fischer Sauerländer)
Spanish (Colombia) (Editorial Monigote)
Macedonian (Ars Lamina)


This picture book is my first collaboration with the fantastic Marije Tolman, who made the well-known THE TREEHOUSE with her father Ronald Tolman, a book she received the Bologna Ragazzi Award for. The story is about flying dreams. A girl has these happy dreams night after night, but her brother envies her. How can she get him to fly for himself?

- A full English translation by Laura Watkinson is available, as well as a pdf.
- Also a full Brazilian Portuguese translation is available, send me a mail. 
- This book is promoted by the Dutch Literary Fund, so foreign publishers could apply for translation and production grants here.

A PARTY FOR THE MACHINES

FEEST VOOR DE MACHINES (A PARTY FOR THE MACHINES)

year:

2014

genre:

picture book, 32 p.

publisher:

De Eenhoorn, Wielsbeke

illustrator:
Liesbeth De Stercke
age:

4+
rights sold:
Danish (Turbine Forlag)
Korean (KIZM Education Group)

It's Liesbeth De Sterke's first picture book, and thus my first cooperation with her - and a very happy one. A PARTY FOR THE MACHINES is a cheerful book, about (agricultural) machines and animals, and will hopefully also appeal to boys (and girls of course!)
All the animals in this book have worked hard: Elephant has delivered concrete, Giraffe has planted potatoes, Peacock has a full trailer … So now everyone is on their way to a big party. The animals feast until they fall asleep. The machines stay behind. Suddenly the headlights switch on. The party for the machines can now begin!



- Prooftranslation in English is available

AJAX YEARBOOK FOR CHILDREN 2014/2015

AJAX KINDERJAARBOEK 2014/2015 (AJAX YEARBOOK FOR CHILDREN 2014/2015)
year:

2014

genre:

non-fiction, 80 p.

Publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Louis van de Vuurst (photographs)
age:

10+

SUPERGUPPY IS EVERYTHING

SUPERGUPPIE IS ALLES (SUPERGUPPY IS EVERYTHING)
year:

2014

genre:

poetry, 240 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Fleur van der Weel
age:

6+

SOFIE AND THE DOLPHINS

SOFIE EN DE DOLFIJNEN (SOFIE AND THE DOLPHINS)
year:

2014

genre:

childrens book, with comic- and non-fiction-elements, 144 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Floor de Goede (illustrations and comics)
Ype+Willem (photo-comics)
age:

8andup

CHRISTMAS WITH BABY

KERST MET KINDJE (CHRISTMAS WITH BABY)
year:

2013

genre:

picture book, 32 p.

publisher:

De Eenhoorn, Wielsbeke

illustrator:
Merel Eyckerman
age:

6+
rights sold:
Danish (Turbine)

AJAX YEARBOOK FOR CHILDREN 2013/2014

AJAX KINDERJAARBOEK 2013/2014 (AJAX YEARBOOK FOR CHILDREN 2013/2014)
year:

2013

genre:

non-fiction, 80 p.

Publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Louis van de Vuurst (photographs)
age:

10+

From this season on I write the official Ajax Yearbook for Children. I look back to the season that was and look forward to the season that is coming. For this edition player Daley Blind wrote the preface. I interviewed many others, like for instance Siem de Jong, Viktor Fischer, Lucas Andersen, Nicolai Boilesen, Mickey van der Hart, Daphne Koster and Danny Hoesen.
There are portraits of all the other players, there are lists and reviews, there is information about the trainers et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The numerous fullcolour pictures are by Ajax photographer Louis van de Vuurst.

SOFIE AND THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR

SOFIE EN HET IJSBEERTJE (SOFIE AND THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR)

year:

2013

genre:

childrens book, with comic- and non-fiction-elements, 144 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Floor de Goede (illustrations and comics)
Ype+Willem (photo-comics)
age:

8+

In this third book where we combined several elements (text, illustrations on every page, comics, photo-comics, short non-fiction pieces and extra's at the end of the book), it's not just about penguins, like the first book, but also about polar bears. Sofie, this cheerful, sweet girl, visits the zoo with her two funny friends Billie and Timmie. When they are looking at Vicks, the young polar bear at the zoo accidentely breaking his wondow (an event that really happened at the Rotterdam Zoo!), they get entangled with Vicks's whereabouts...

- The other volumes are called:
SOFIE EN DE PINGUÏNS (2010)
SOFIE EN HET VLIEGENDE JONGETJE (2012)
SOFIE EN DE DOLFIJNEN (2014)
SOFIE EN HET GEHEIME PAARD (2015) -
to be continued...

I'LL ROOT FOR YOU

IK JUICH VOOR JOU (I'LL ROOT FOR YOU)
year:

2013

genre:

poetry,  48 p.

Publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Wolf Erlbruch

age:
10+
awards:
Golden Poetry Medal 2014 (best book of children's poetry over the last two years)
Vlag en Wimpel 2014 (Honorary mention Best books for children)
rights sold:
English (USA) (Eerdmans)
Spanish (Spain) (Barbara Fiore)

The grandmaster of German illustration, Wolf Erlbruch, made many fantastic images about animals doing sports. My Publisher asked me to write new poems to these illustration. This was a big honour for me. The poems are about losing, winning, about secrets of athletes, and there is a speech in denglish (dutch/english).

- This title was chosen as one of the ten poetry volumes to be promoted in the Dutch Poetry Week 2014 (the other 9 volumes were all for adults)
- German and English translation of the poems available

VASCO THE LITTLE SOCCER-PIG

VASCO HET VOETBALVARKENTJE (VASCO THE LITTLE SOCCER-PIG)

year:

2013

genre:

picture book, 32 p.

publisher:

De Eenhoorn, Wielsbeke

illustrator:
Alain Verster
age:

6+
awards:
Nominated for the Boekenpauw 2014 (Best illustrations, Belgium, for the illustrator)
rights sold:
Chinese (mainland) (Petrel Publishing House)
Portuguese (Brazil) (Pulo do Gato)
Spanish (Thule Ediciones)
Franch (Editions Versant Sud Jeunesse)

Braziliaanse cover

My second picture book with Alain Verster, and the first of a happy, warm series about Vasco (the pig) and Matteo (the boy). Matteo gets two wonderful presents for his birthday: a soccer ball and a little pig. That pig is Vasco. Matteo and Vasco do everything together: eat, snore, watch television,… Matteo’s favorite game is soccer. Vasco doesn’t know much about soccer. But that’s not so bad: Matteo simply goes looking for real soccer-opponents. And Vasco goes along. Because that’s what you do when you’re someone’s soccer-pig.


- Prooftranslation in English is available

       

THE DOG THAT NINO DIDN'T HAVE

HET HONDJE DAT NINO NIET HAD (THE DOG NINO DIDN'T HAVE)
year:

2013

genre:

picture book, 32 p.

publisher:

De Eenhoorn, Wielsbeke

illustrator:
Anton Van Hertbruggen
age:

6+
awards:
Prix Sorcières 2015 (France)
Boekenpauw 2014 (Best illustrations, Belgium, for the illustrator)
Gulden Palet 2014 (Best illustrations, Netherlands, for the illustrator)
Besten 7 August 2015 (Germany)
Silver Medal (Best books of the year, by Society of Illustrators, USA, for the illustrations)
Deutsche Jugendliteratur Preis 2016 (Germany)
rights sold:

Franse uitgave

Chinese (mainland) (Petrel Publishing House)
Danish (Turbine)
French (Didier Jeunesse)
English (USA) (Eerdmans)
German (Coppenrath Verlag - Bohem Press)
Portuguese (Brazil) (Pulo do Gato)
Korean (Jiyangsa)
Russian (Samokat)
Ukrainian (Bobrovnikova L.A.)
Turkish (Final Kültür Sanat Yayınları)
Macedonian (Ars Lamina)
Spanish (Argentina) (Limonero)
Slovenian (Sodobnost)

Nino is the proud owner of an imaginary little dog. When he goes to the forest, the little dog he doesn’t have mimics a squirrel. When he goes to the lake, the little dog jumps fearlessly into the deep. But sometimes the little dog acts so silly, that it stands out. One day Nino doesn’t have the little dog anymore. Instead he has gotten a real little dog. This little dog doesn’t dare to climb trees. But that’s not so bad, because Nino has many imaginary animals... This is the first book of young illustrator Anton Van Hertbruggen, and immediately he won the biggest prize there is to be won in Flanders... And afterwards he repeated that trick in The Netherlands, France, USA and in Germany!

- Proof translation in English is available

MY HAPPY BOOK OF SOUNDS

MIJN FIJNE GELUIDENBOEKJE (MY HAPPY BOOK OF SOUNDS)
year:

2013

genre:

picture book, poetry, 64 p.

publisher:

De Eenhoorn, Wielsbeke

illustrator:
Mattias De Leeuw
age:

4+
awards:
Nominated for the Golden Poetry Medal 2014

This little booklet contains fifty short and playful poems lovely sounds from everyday-life. Opening a bag of crisps, daddy’s car that’s driving up the driveway, talking under water, the wind that’s blowing in the trees,... All these sounds are part of a warm home. Mattias invented a warm, funny family of bears that accompany all the poems in just as lively, full-colour pictures.

- Proof translation in English is available.

HELLO

HALLO (HELLO)
year:

2012

genre:

picture book, 32 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Fleur van der Weel
age:

4+
awards:
White Raven 2013

The children's book week in Holland is a big celebration of children's literature (October). The organizing foundation (CPNB) every year asks a writer to write the gift book (I got to do this in 2005), and an illustrator to make the special books-week-picture book. In 2012 Fleur van der Weel was asked. She asked me to write a text. This became HELLO: the story of a small girl looking out over her backyard, in the night, because she can't sleep. She is excited because tomorrow she will visit the zoo. In the meantime, in the zoo, the animals have all kinds of reasons to be awake too. We follow both Joni, the girl, and the animals. At the end there is a fantastic fold-out-illustration.

- A proof translation in English is available.

SOFIE AND THE FLYING BOY

SOFIE EN HET VLIEGENDE JONGETJE (SOFIE AND THE FLYING BOY)
year:

2012

genre:

childrens book, with comic- and non-fiction-elements, 144 p.

publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Floor de Goede (illustrations and comics)
Ype+Willem (photo-comics)
age:

8+

In this second book where we combined several elements (text, illustrations on every page, comics, photo-comics, short non-fiction pieces and extra's at the end of the book), it's not just about penguins, like the first book, but also about all kinds of flying animals. And the story is again about Sofie, this cheerful, sweet girl with her two funny friends Billie and Timmie, and the rest of her family. This time they will spend a holiday with Sofies grandparents. But when they arrive, there is Ulrik: a peculiar, nerdy little boy that seems to dislike penguins...

- The other volumes are called:
SOFIE EN DE PINGUÏNS (2010)
SOFIE EN HET IJSBEERTJE (2013)
SOFIE EN DE DOLFIJNEN (2014)
SOFIE EN HET GEHEIME PAARD (2015) -
to be continued...

THIRTEEN RUNNING DEER

DERTIEN RENNENDE HERTJES (THIRTEEN RUNNING DEER)

year:

2012

genre:

children's book, 160 p.

publisher:

De Eenhoorn, Wielsbeke

illustrator:
Mattias De Leeuw
age:

8+
awards:
Nominated for the German Literature Award 2015 (Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis)
rights sold:
Chinese (mainland) (Petrel Publishing House)
German (Gerstenberg)
Chinese (Taiwan) (Taiwan Interminds Publishing Inc.)
Korean (Lime co.)
Italian (Sinnos)

This richely illustrated book (in full colour) was my first cooperation with the young and highly talented illustrator Mattias De Leeuw. It's a magical, thrilling story, about a girl that has an enchanting encounter: one day Luna sees thirteen little running deer. They jump out of a blue vase in front of her on the table. It's the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. The little deer call her 'Duchess'. Suddenly the deer disappear again in a blue poster of the ocean. Luna wants to tell everything to mum. But her brother Ralf stops her. Ralf also saw an animal once, he tells. But when Ralf told dad, he never saw his animal again...The story culminates in a thrilling showdown between Raf ’s animal, a roaring lion, and Luna’s deer. And it turns out that Raf is also looking for confirmation that he matters and that he’s important too. 
This book came as a storm: I wrote it (in short sentences) as if I was chasing the story. Great experience!         

- The Dutch Translation Fund made a special on this book - here.
- A proof-translation in English is available.
- Also available in German audiobook-version.